betrayal
by gothic hearts
Summary: Kuro is a half human half pokemon. He lived with his best friend Scarlett for a very long time and did his best to make her happy; no matter what she asked, but that wasn't enough for her because one day she turned on him and left him for dead. Now he has to learn to live and survive alone, Scarlett's betrayal leaving him unable to trust anybody.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own the characters of Kuro and Scarlett, but I don't own pokemon or the idea of half human/half pokemon.**

**A/N: This idea just came to me, so I hope people like it. Review please, so I know what you think. I rated it T to be safe because there was a bit of violence and I don't want to take any chances.**

I loved her, loved her like anybody would love their partner, their best friend.

" Kuro! use Shadow Ball!" Scarlett called. I flapped my wings, hovering in place then brought my hands together and prepared a shadow ball, then I fired it at the Gardevoir I was facing, knocking it out instantly, " that's what you get for trying to face me!" Scarlett hissed to the Gardevoir's trainer. The trainer faced me and said, " Kuro isn't it? please listen to me. Your partner is only using you to stay in power of the city. She doesn't care about you, not really. Please just listen to me."

I came down to hover next to Scarlett, " she's my friend." I said confidently, " yeah thats right! just get out of here!" Scarlett sneered to the girl, chasing her out of the building.

With my help Scarlett had defeated the gym leader with no problems, but that wasn't enough for her and she took over the whole town, kicking the Gym leader and his family out of the Gym, their home and living there instead. The girl we just battled was the Gym leader's daughter trying to get close to us, to talk to me.

I wasn't like other pokemon. I'm half human. I look human except for the dark teal wings on my back. I'm a dark type so I can use any dark attacks as well as some other types. But what really sets me apart from other pokemon is the pokemon genes mixed with human genes somehow makes all my attacks stronger so logically, no normal pokemon should be able to defeat me.

Time passed and Scarlett was relaxing on the red and gold throne she'd gotten.

" Kuro?" I looked up at her from my position; lying boredly on a red sofa. She looked annoyed. What had I done now, I wondered to myself as I stood up and approached my partner. She got up and gestured for me to follow her. This was unsual behavior, usually she ignored me unless someone had shown up that I needed to get rid of for her. I followed her through the corridors of the Gym then finally emerged in the battling area. I assumed someone had shown up that I didn't know about.

" stay here." Scarlett said and went through another doorway, leading to her balcony that she tended to be on if I was battling. I looked around, wondering what was going on, after a minute or two I saw Scarlett standing on her balcony. Everything afterwards seemed like a dream,

" now. Get him." She said it so calmly, without emotion. With no warning, I was ambushed by a selection of different pokemon. There was so many that I could do nothing to protect myself.

" Enough!" The pokemon backed off and I pulled my arms up so I could lean on them and see up to Scarlett. A man was standing beside her, he seemed to be giving her something, but my eyesight was blurry from blood so I couldn't see very well. I struggled to my feet and limped away, leaving the Gym,

" Tyranitar! use hyp..."

the man was about to say but Scarlett cut him off, " let him go. He'll die out there anyway."

I limped as fast as I could, unable to fly because my wings were all torn up. Tears of betrayal stung my eyes as I left behind my only friend. A friend who had just tried to have me killed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing the characters of Kuro and Scarlett, nothing else. **

I woke up, crying out, as I did almost every night. my body shook with part relief and part betrayal. I'd never seen Scarlett again after that day and I hoped I never would. I constantly had nightmares reliving those moments. I looked around, remembering I had slept on a branch. I stood up and spread my wings, catching the wind to give me a smooth landing on the ground. I spent most of my time in mountains and forests, though I'd hide my wings and go into town if I had to. I prefered to spend my time alone; not trusting humans. I folded my wings tight against my back then sat down with my back leaning against the trunk of the tree I'd slept in. I listened to the sounds of the forest waking up; that had never failed to relax me but it didn't this morning. It's been exactly three years since the day Scarlett betrayed me. I was torn between wanting to forget and wanting to figure out why she did it, but I didn't need to know desperatly enough to track her down. I had to admit the main reason I stayed out of towns and cities was I found out Scarlett was travelling from town to town on a pokemon journey. I remembered she'd always wanted to do that and thought we were going to do it together. I had been stupid, but what I hated the most was even after all that, I was unable to hate her. I wanted to hate her, but I just couldn't. I sighed and stood up. I had no food left and knew I would have to go into town to get some. I groaned in annoyence when I realised I spent the last of my money on food last week. I would have to make do on berries then, until I could get more. I flew over to a tree full of oran berries and pulled a few down. I ate them then moved on through the woods.

I froze when I heard people speaking. I spread my wings and flew up. I landed on a branch and knelt down, so I could see anyone who came by but they couldn't see me. I did this quite frequently. If I stayed perfectly still, humans never noticed I was there. It was only if I moved it drew their eyes to me. It was a couple of teenagers, chatting and laughing together. I tensed slightly, wanting them to go away so I wouldn't have to hear them laughing like that anymore. It didn't happen though, they stopped in a nearby clearing so they could eat breakfast. I couldn't sit still like this anymore, but I was afraid to move incase they saw me. After a few very uncomfortable minutes of sitting still, I very slowly drew my wings in tight against my spine, so they were hidden beneath my t-shirt. I watched the humans while I made my way down towards the ground, wincing every time I made a branch creak, but the humans ignored it; assuming it was only a pokemon or the wind. I hit the ground then looked around at the humans again. I'd misjudged my landing and now I was closer to them than I'd wanted to be. I turned away and went to leave, but one of the humans must have spotted me,

" hey!" I stopped when one of them called out and looked over my shoulder at them,

" we didn't see you there. Why don't you come and join us?" One of the girls asked.

" no thanks. I'm in a hurry." I told her and turned back around. I started to walk away. This wasn't the first time I'd been spoken to by humans who probably don't mean me any harm, but I can't take any chances.

" ok. See you around!" The girl called as a goodbye. Tears stung my eyes as I started running; anyone showing kindness sends my emotions haywire as it was something Scarlett had never done. When I was far enough away from the humans I stopped and wiped my eyes, then streched my wings. It was uncomfortable having them cooped up underneath my t-shirt. I flew into the air and looked around to see where the nearest town was. When I saw it past the trees I flew towards it, keeping under the tree line so I wouldn't be spotted, or at least that's what I thought,

" You have wings!" The sudden voice surprised me so much that I lost balance and crashed into a tree. Pain shot through my left arm and wing and I fell towards the ground, hitting off several branches on the way down. I landed badly, sending more pain through my arms and my left leg as I looked up to see a girl looking at me guiltily. I blacked out after that.


	3. Chapter 3

**disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett, nothing else. **

I slowly opened my eyes to see that girl looking down at me worriedly. She smiled in relief when she saw I was awake,

" are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you." She said softly. I looked around to see I had to moved to a more comfortable position against a tree and my wounds had been bandaged. I tried to get up but as soon as I moved extreme pain shot up my righ wing and I cried out in pain. The girl started panicing,

" please don't move! I think your wing might be broken." She said, keeping her distance as if afraid of what I might do. I nodded and focused on keeping my wing still while I got to my feet. I looked over my shoulder to see the difference; my left wing was ok, it was sitting properly but my right wing was hanging down limply.

" I can take you to a hospital or something." The girl offered, uncertaintly. I shook my head,

" human hospitals won't work for a wing, in this case I've gotta go to a pokemon centre." I explained. Her eyes widened,

" so, you are a pokemon?" She asked. I cleared my throat,

" half pokemon and I'm going to need you to point out the nearest pokemon centre." I said. She smiled,

" I can take you to one." she offered.

" no offense, but I travel alone." I said.

" I'm just taking you to a pokemon centre. I'm not asking you to go on a whole journey with me." she replied in amusement. I rolled my eyes,

" ok, fine but then we go our seperate ways." I said, she nodded, then got out two pokeballs,

" Go Pidgeot!" She called, releasing the flying type.

" Fly up and see where the pokemon centre is!" the girl told her pokemon. It chirped and flew up. The girl sent out her other pokemon; a Rapidash. She got on it's back and waited for me to do the same. I could've run myself and kept up with the flame horse, but the jolts would have hurt my wing so I got on the Rapidash behind her. The Pidgeot came back and led us towards town. I focused on keeping my wing still so the pain would be minimal.

" there it is!" the girl called. I looked over to see we were at the edge of the woods. I dreaded having to fold my wings in against my back; that was uncormfortable at the best of times, but now that my wing was broken it would be so much worse. I got off the Rapidash and pulled the slits in my t-shirt to be as wide as possible then brought my wings in through them. I winced as pain shot through the broken wing, but forced myself to keep going until the wings were out of sight. I followed the girl, who had returned her pokemon, into the village to the pokemon centre. When we made it inside, the nurse told the girl to wait in the waiting room while she took me into the operating theatre. I lay on my stomach as the nurse injected me with painkillers just above my right wing. After a few minutes a relieving cold numb feeling overrode the pain and I relaxed while nurse Joy worked on setting my wing, she then fastened it tight against my back with some kind of tape.

" leave your wing like that for a few weeks and it should be just fine." She told me with a smile. I nodded and slipped my t-shirt back on. The nurse gave me a bunch of pain killer tablets in case I did something to strain or hurt my wing. I walked back out to the main part of the pokemon centre and was mildly surprised to see that girl was still there, waiting. She smiled when she saw me,

" Are you going to be ok now?" She asked. I nodded,

" hey, uh I know you said you wanted to go alone but I was hoping you might change your mind, at least until your wing heals completely." She said hopefully, then held out her hand.

" My name is Dana." She added. I stared at her outstreched hand for a few minutes, all the while she waited patiently. The thought of going through with this hurt, because mine and Scarlett's companionship began in much the same way. I looked into Dana's eyes and saw a pure honest compassion that Scarlett never had. I was done with letting her win, by hiding myself all the time. I put my hand in Dana's to seal the deal,

" my name is Kuro." I told her and watched happily as her face lit up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett, nothing else. **

I followed my new friend Dana through the town, watching in amusement as she chattered excitedly about things I wasn't really listening to.

" so, Kuro. If you're half pokemon does that mean you can use moves like a pokemon?" Dana asked, looking back at me,

" yeah." I told her, knowing this would strike up a whole interregation about what I can do. I was right,

" so what type are you? Can you be captured in a pokeball like normal pokemon? Do you compete in pokemon battles? Have you ever had a partner before? Do you age like a human or pokemon?" Dana asked.

" Dark type, no, yes, yes, human." I replied, answering her questions in order.

" so, if I competed in gyms for instance you could fight the gym leaders pokemon and it would be counted?" Dana asked. I knew her 'example' was really her way of asking me to fight for her without offending me.

" yes. It would be counted. I can do it and if you want me to, just ask." I said. She smiled,

" thanks Kuro." She said softly. I didn't reply; her thanks shocking me. I thought that maybe I should have had more human company than just Scarlett and these kind gestures wouldn't be shocking me so much; the only problem was Scarlett wouldn't let anybody near me, not unless I was fighting their pokemon and then she always sent me back to the private room we stayed in when we weren't challaged, the room Scarlett had that throne put into, straight away. I looked at Dana,

" is there a gym in this town you wanted to go to?" I asked her. She nodded,

" yes, but I'd like to use my own pokemon first. If that fails, would you mind..." She trailed off and looked away. I smiled at the fact she didn't call me hers.

" course not." I told her. She smiled back then we headed towards the gym. The gym used electric type pokemon. I stood next to Dana and looked around with mild interest as the referee annouced the rules. It was three pokemon each. I stepped back and watched as the gym leader sent out a Electabuzz. Dana sent out a Rhyhorn. The leader allowed Dana to make the first move.

" Rhyhorn! Use horn attack!"

Dana called. Her pokemon charged at the Electabuzz and hit it full on. The electric type skidded back then countered with brick break. It did more damage to Rhyhorn than it's attack had done to Electabuzz. Dana used horn attack again, then made her pokemon dodge Electabuzz's low kick.

" Use earthquake!" Dana yelled, when the Electabuzz was in the middle of the arena. The earthquake hurt the Electabuzz pretty badly. I reckoned she could win this fight.

" Electabuzz use brick break!" The gym leader called.

" Protect!" Dana countered. The brick break did nothing,

" Dig!" Dana yelled and her pokemon did so. The Electabuzz looked around, trying to work out where the Rhyhorn might reappear. We waited a few seconds then the ground underneath the electric type broke and it was sent flying by the force of the Rhyhorn's strength. Dana won this round.

" Jolteon!" The gym leader called, sending out his second pokemon. Dana returned her Rhyhorn and sent out her Rapidash.

" Jolteon! Quick attack." The pokemon was so fast Rapidash had no choice but to take the hit,

" sunny day!" Dana called. I watched as Rapidash used the move then the Jolteon used Thunder Fang. I winced as I'd felt a few of those in battle myself. The Rapidash cried out in pain but kept up the sunny day,

" use quick attack!" Dana called. The leader looked confused as to why she wasn't using a fire type move, but Dana simply watched her pokemon closely. When the flame horse was close to the Jolteon she yelled,

" flame wheel!" Rapidash covered itself in flame and hit the Jolteon with the speed it had gathered with the quick attack, hurting it badly.

" Double kick!" The leader ordered.

I watched as the Jolteon and the Rapidash battled, each one trying to get the upper hand on the other, but eventually the Jolteon came out on top. Dana returned her Rapidash and softly thanked it for trying, then she sent out her Rhyhorn again,

" Double kick Jolteon!" The leader ordered. The Rhyhorn didn't have a chance to either dodge or counter. I hadn't noticed the Jolteon's speed properly before since it was against an equally fast pokemon, but against the much slower Rhyhorn, it's speed was a huge advantage.

" Use earthquake Rhyhorn!" Dana yelled. It obeyed and badly hurt the Jolteon. I guessed that it wouldn't take much to finish it off as it still had it's injuries from Rapidash.

" use Double Kick Jolteon!" The leader yelled.

" Horn attack!" Dana added. The two pokemon collided and we waited to see which would fall first. It was both of them, seeing as they were both pretty hurt. The leader sent out a Raichu; his final and strongest pokemon. When that battle became a tie I had turned my attention to the setting sun through the window, but Dana turned to me with a begging look on her face,

" none of my remaining pokemon can stand up to his Raichu. I'm sorry, Kuro. I know your wing will still hurt and you don't have to, but..."

" no it's fine. I need a workout anyway." I interrupted her, streching. I walked forward then Dana asked,

" He is part pokemon so is capable of fighting against your pokemon. Will you allow it?"

The gym leader watched me, thinking it over. He decided to allow it. I grinned, looking forward to this. I hadn't been in an offical battle for years. My battles usually consisted of territorial pokemon in the woods. I nodded to Dana, letting her know it was ok to call the shots.

" Raichu! Use Thunder Bolt!" the leader called. I bit my lip to keep from crying out as I was hit by the attack. I mouthed three of my attacks to Dana, telling her what I can do,

" Use Shadow Ball!" Dana called. I did so, knocking the Raichu into the wall, the leader growled; realising I wasn't a pushover just because I was part human.

" Use Hyper Beam!" He yelled. Raichu went still as it was preparing the attack.

" Shadow Ball again!" Dana called. I obeyed her, then watched as the Raichu was ready to attack. Just as it fired Dana yelled,

" use Quick Attack to dodge!" I grinned as I dodged just in time,

" Now use Shadow Claw!" I raced forward, still using the speed of the quick attack and knocked the Raichu out with the strength of my attack. I sighed in relief as I won my very first battle without my wings. I didn't mention it, but I'd always used my wings to give myself an advantage in battle before. I walked over to Dana as she collected her gym badge from the leader,

" are you ok?" She asked, looking at me in concern, I shrugged,

" yeah. The damage is no worse to me than it is to any other pokemon." I explained. Dana nodded, reassured. We left the gym together, heading back to the pokemon centre so Dana can heal her fainted pokemon. When we walked inside I stopped in shock and horror. It had been years and her hair was shorter, but I'd know her anywhere. She turned round and did her signature half smirk, half sneer.

" Kuro." She purred, as if seeing a long lost old friend.

" Scarlett." I growled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett.**

" what are you doing here?" I snarled to Scarlett. Dana stepped back, looking from me to Scarlett.

" healing my pokemon in the pokemon centre. How are you doing Kuro?" Scarlett asked, smiling. I clenched my hands into fists,

" how do you think I'm doing? You tried to have me killed!" I yelled, not caring if people were looking. Scarlett clipped a few pokeballs that were on the counter to her wrist and walked towards me. I tensed, watching as she reached towards me, almost touching my shoulder

" why don't we take this outside, you're making a scene." She sneered. I lashed out at her, knocking her hand away from my shoulder.

" don't touch me!" I snapped. Scarlett smiled victoriously,

" I see you've found yourself a new owner." She said, glancing at Dana.

" I'm not his owner." Dana said firmly. Scarlett laughed,

" you don't get it, do you?" She asked, walking over to Dana.

" he is just like any other pokemon. They're not friends, not partners. They are there for us to use in battle. That's all and Kuro is no exception."

" That's not true! All my pokemon are my friends, but Kuro is not my pokemon. He's just a friend." Dana replied to Scarlett. Scarlett rolled her eyes and shrugged,

" whatever you say." Scarlett said dismissively then turned back to me,

" so, since you already have a new master I guess I'm wasting my time to ask if you'd be interested in joining with me again." She said gently. I narrowed my eyes and felt angrier than I'd ever felt in my life.

" Why would I do that? So you can betray me again?" I snapped and grabbed Dana's hand before leaving the pokemon centre. I ran with Dana into the woods outside town, then stopped in a clearing, panting.

" running away again Kuro?" I turned around to see Scarlett walking into the clearing,

" stop following me!" I growled.

" he obviously doesn't want you here! Leave us alone!" Dana snapped, standing between Scarlett and me. Scarlett looked at Dana and smiled thoughtfully,

" how about this, we battle and the winner gets possession of Kuro?" Scarlett offered, I looked at Dana in fear, but she didn't let me down

" no way! It's his choice! I told you, I don't own him!" Dana hissed.

" I never thought you'd choose such a pitiful master. One who can't even rise to a challenge." Scarlett taunted. I growled,

" Fine! We'll do it!" I snapped to her. Scarlett smirked, patting my shoulder,

" good boy." She said, knowing how much I hate that.

" are you sure, Kuro?" Dana asked. I nodded to her,

" I'll be on your side Dana, we can't lose."

" actually Kuro. You'll be sitting this battle out. Full pokemon only, I'm afraid." Scarlett said, holding a pokeball in her hand.

" I have to go to the pokemon centre first!" Dana said firmly. Scarlett nodded,

" go ahead. We'll wait here." She said.

" We?" I asked Scarlett. She nodded and grasped my wrist, pulling me closer to her.

" you can stay with me." she purred. I narrowed my eyes and pulled away from her.

" fine, but don't touch me." I hissed and watched as Dana left to go back into town.

" now she's gone, why don't you just come back with me Kuro?" Scarlett asked. I shook my head,

" I'm not going back with you, ever. Even if you do happen to win against Dana." I snarled. Scarlett shook her head with humour,

" I'm not intending to wait around for that loser." She said and threw the pokeball she had in her hand into the air; releasing a Charizard. She got onto it's back and it flew up into the air a bit. I growled, not wanting Scarlett to know I couldn't fly. I jumped when the dragon unleashed a flamethrower. I landed in the branch of a tree and was forced to dodge again when it fired another flamethrower. Anytime I landed on another branch I was forced to move again to avoid getting hit with the flamethrower and I couldn't keep it up.

I accidently landed on a branch that couldn't take my weight and it snapped. As soon as I hit the ground I was hit by the Charizard's flamethrower. I cried out in pain until Scarlett called her pokemon off. The dragon landed beside me. I could've got up, but I didn't feel like I had to. Scarlett got off Charizard's back and knelt beside me. I panted with tiredness as Scarlett pushed my hair out of my eyes,

" don't feel bad, Kuro. My Charizard has been specially trained for stamina just for an occasion like this." She said, smirking. I smacked her hand away from my face and sat up. Scarlett laughed,

" ready to keep going?" She asked, as if we were simply training. I got to my feet and fired a shadow ball at the Charizard. It roared in pain and Scarlett stepped back,

" Charizard! Use fire fang!" Scarlett ordered, watching as her pokemon dug it's fangs into my shoulder. I slashed at the Charizard with shadow claw. It drew back and used flamethrower. I dodged to the side, then used quick attack. When I was close the Charizard hit me with dragon claw. It's srength forced me back and my broken wing hit off a tree. I slumped on the ground and screamed in pain. Scarlett paused to listen,

" oh. You have a weak spot Kuro?" She said, grinning happily.

" Charizard! Go for his back with Dragon claw!" I pulled myself to my feet and jumped backwards, trying to keep my wing out of range.

" Flamethrower! Make him stop, then go for his back!" Scarlett yelled. I felt fear for the first time during this fight; as long as my wing was broken I was vunrable. I kept trying to avoid the flamethrowers as well as block some with large shadow balls, but eventually the Charizard caught me off guard and I had to stop to avoid getting burnt. The Charizard then flew forward and used dragon claw on the broken wing. I cried out as the pain drove me to the ground and I had to try hard to keep from blacking out. Scarlett knelt beside me again, waiting.

" I hate you!" I growled.

" I know." She said gently, placing her hand on my forehead. I didn't have the srength to make her stop.

" Stop! What are you doing?" Scarlett and I looked over to see Dana standing at the edge of the clearing,

" leave him alone!" She hissed. Scarlett smiled,

" now your pokemon are healed, shall we have that battle? I was simply weakening Kuro so he couldn't aid either side. It's only fair." She said. My vision dimmed with the pain as I watched Scarlett walk towards Dana. The pain of my broken wing being sliced open with dragon claw made me black out completely as Dana threw a pokeball into the air.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Kuro and Scarlet**

**Read and Review please. I want to know if I'm going in a good direction with this.**

I regained my consiousness gradually and opened my eyes. I saw Scarlett and Dana arguing about something while Scarlett's Charizard and Dana's Rapidash faught. I couldn't really make out what they were saying, but I think I heard my name and the word 'master' in there a few times. I struggled to sit up, watching with horror as the Charizard seemed to be winning. I watched hopelessly as the Rapidash fainted and Dana sent out her Pidgeotto to fight. Both the pokemon took the fight into the air and I couldn't see them from my position. I shifted my position slightly and the rustling leaves made the girls turn round,

" wow your awake already? I must admit you constantly surprise me, Kuro." Scarlett said as she walked towards me. I tried to move backwards but the pain in my wing stopped me,

" don't worry. I'll make the pain fade, if only for a little while." Scarlett promised, putting her hand gently on my cheek. I still flinched; every touch from her felt like a slap. Scarlett lifted a pokeball, but before she could release whatever was inside Dana shoved her back, away from me

" I told you to leave him alone!" She hissed. Scarlett stood up and glared at Dana. I couldn't have blamed Dana for feeling intimidated; Scarlett was much taller than her with cold grey eyes and black hair. Dana had light brown hair and brown eyes. Once Dana had backed down Scarlett turned back to me and released her pokemon; a Butterfree. I looked at Scarlett's face and gasped. I knew what she was planning. I quickly sent a shadow ball at the Butterfree, but it dodged.

" use sleep powder." Scarlett ordered.

" no! That's cheating! You just can't handle the fact he wants me to win!" Dana snapped. Scarlett ignored her as her pokemon flew above me and used it's attack. I wasn't able to move and dodge, but I tried to fight the tiredness. When I could barely keep my eyes open, Scarlett sat beside me, running her fingers gently down my good wing.

" when did you break it?" she asked gently.

" early this morning." I mumbled, not paying attention to who I was talking to; I was almost out of it with tiredness,

" you can sleep Kuro. I'll keep you safe." Scarlett whispered softly in my ear. I nodded and let myself sleep.

I jerked awake and looked around. I was in the same place I fell asleep in, I noted with relief. I looked up to see Scarlett and Dana's pokemon still fighting. Dana had her Rhyhorn out and Scarlett had a Girafarig. I looked at the sky and saw a few stars near the half moon. I looked back at the fight and saw the Girafarig was winning. I looked at the girls who seemed to be doing nothing more than glaring at each other with hatred and yelling commands to their pokemon. When the Rhyhorn eventually fell Scarlett laughed victoriously. I hoped she was just happy to have won that fight, but that hope died when she turned to me smugly.

" I said I'm not going with you." I growled. Scarlett smiled,

" I love how you think you have a choice with this Kuro." She said and released her Butterfree again as well as her Charizard. I ignored the sudden, extreme shooting pain in my wing and pulled myself to my feet, backing away. I sent a shadow ball to the Butterfree, but the Charizard took the hit, since my aim wasn't the best right now. I held the branches above me for support as I moved back. Butterfree flew forward faster and stayed above me even as I moved to the side; I was weak and slow and the Butterfree could fly. It used sleep powder as it moved and I had to stop. I kept a tight grip with the tree branch as I faught to stay awake.

" not this time Scarlett." I growled as she walked towards me. Her Charizard was preventing Dana from getting any closer to us; she wasn't going to risk getting burnt over it, humans couldn't take the pain like pokemon could. I felt exhausted, but my grip held firm on the tree branch so I didn't fall to the ground. Scarlett seemed to realise I wasn't going to let go no matter how tired I was, so she reached up and gently pried my fingers away from the branch. When I was forced to let go my legs gave out and Scarlett helped take my weight. I hated leaning against her, but didn't really have a choice. I heard her calling for Charizard and opened my eyes to see Charizard leaning down so she could put me on it's back. She got on right behind me and held my body still while Charizard flew up. Dana sent out her healed Pidgeot and flew after us, not wanting Scarlett to get away with it,

" flamethrower." Scarlett said dismissively. Charizard turned it's head round and breathed fire at the bird. They were forced to dodge and by then Dana couldn't have caught up; Scarlett's Charizard was fast. I fell into a deep sleep after that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Kuro and Scarlett**

I groaned as I started to awaken. I opened my eyes and swiftly sat up. I looked around to see I had been lying on a red sofa. I looked around the room I was in. It had two doors at either side of the room and a large window going onto a balcony. The room itself was quite large, but there wasn't much in it. There was the red sofa I was on, a clear glass table and a red armchair at the other side of the table. There was also a tv at the far side of the room. I looked around the room again and was pleased to see I was alone. I stood up and ran over to the window, but it was locked. I went to one of the doors instead and pulled it open. It was a dead end; a bedroom with two small windows that were too small to climb out of. The bedroom was also empty. I left it and ran across the room to the other door, knowing it would be the way out, but just when I reached it, it opened and Scarlett came in. I stopped and backed off,

" oh. I didn't expect you to be awake for another few hours yet, I was just getting a drink." Scarlett explained. I didn't reply, I was guessing my chances of getting past her to the door. She seemed to understand what I was thinking because she closed and locked the door then put the key in her pocket.

" trying to leave already Kuro? But you've just got here." Scarlett said, acting hurt. I scowled,

" I'm done with your games Scarlett. Just tell me what you want." I growled. She walked past me and sat on the sofa,

" sit." She offered. I grudgingly obeyed, sitting on the far side of the sofa from her.

" I'm making you a deal Kuro. Fight by my side again and I can arrange for your wing to get the best treatment on the planet. I have this professor friend who can heal a break instantly." Scarlett said.

" no way! My wing will heal on it's own anyway." I snapped. Scarlett sighed,

" you'll come around. Just wait." She said then got up. She walked around the back of the sofa then I felt her hands grip my broken wing, hard. I cried out and pulled away, hissing at her in anger. Scarlett held one of my feather's in her hand, running her fingers along it

" your feathers are really soft, Kuro. I think I'll keep this one." I glared at her,

" fine, but don't pull out any more." I snapped. She smiled and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. I waited about one second before I ran over to the door leading out that she'd locked and kicked at it, trying to get it open.

" it's no use Kuro. You don't have the srength to break that door." I turned round to see Scarlett leaning against the doorway, smirking.

" you can't keep me trapped here forever." I said.

" I know. I don't have to, just until you agree to the deal I made." Scarlett replied. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair,

" you get my wing fixed completly and I become your slave?" I said.

" not slave... partner." Scarlett corrected.

" your version of a partner is a slave." I snapped.

" it'll be different this time. I made a mistake last time by treating you badly..."

" badly?! You tried to have me killed!" I snarled, watching as Scarlett walked towards me. I tensed and she smiled,

" I remember back when you were devoted."

" yeah well, trying to have someone killed can put them off you." I replied, trying to control my anger.

" you're still hanging onto that then? Are you sure we can't just start over? I've changed now, I have a pokemon team and any one of them could tell you that." Scarlett said. I searched her face and I had to admit she looked sincere. I slumped my shoulders and put my hands in my trouser pockets.

" I guess I could give it a try." I muttered, giving in. Scarlett smiled,

" great, but how do I know your not going to take the treatment for your wing then bolt?" She asked.

" I'm not like you. I can't go back on my word." I replied,

" unfortunatly." I added.

" oh cheer up." Scarlett said, patting my shoulder.

" come on, let's go to the lab to get your wing fixed." she added, heading to the locked door. I followed.

Scarlett led me into a huge building full of strange machine's.

" professor!" She called. An older man walked forward,

" is this the half breed?" He asked. I looked at Scarlett,

" he knows about me? You told him in advance. You must have been confident about capturing me." I commented. Scarlett simply shrugged then looked at the professor,

" he's got a broken wing. Can you help him?" She asked. The professor nodded then pointed to a table,

" can you sit on that so I can get at your wings easier?" He asked. I hesitated but nodded, climbing onto the table, taking my t-shirt off and streching my wings. I felt the professor prodding and poking at my wings, I wasn't quite sure what he was doing but stayed still anyway. Just when I started to relax, I looked at Scarlett and saw she had her back to me and was typing something on some sort of computer. A few seconds later a pleasant numb feeling swept over my wings. I sighed in relief, fully relaxing. I didn't even tense again when Scarlett sat beside me. The numb feeling spread from my wings over my body. I didn't feel Scarlett taking my hand. I saw her do it, that's the only reason I knew she had. The professor finished up and I spread my wings, feeling intense relief; they were both ok. I got off the table, then the numb feeling made my legs give out. I tried to get up, but had no strength. I glared at Scarlett when she knelt beside me,

" what have you done to me?" I growled. She smiled,

" I couldn't risk you escaping now your wings are healed could I? Come on, we'll go back to my house and rest up? You remember, the place we lived in before you left?" She said. " I liked it there. So we'll go there, spend a few days getting everything back to normal then you can join my team for a real journey. Just like you wanted." She explained. I nodded, going along with it for now. Scarlett helped me get to my feet then she supported me as we left the lab. She released her Charizard so we could travel by air. I hated how, even though my wings were better, I was still too weak to fly, because of that numb feeling. I got on Charizard's back and Scarlett got on behind me. It flew into the air, heading west. I had my wings folded tight against my back, so there was more room but Scarlett soon changed that. I gasped when she ran her fingers along the part of my wing that connects to my back, that action automaticly made my wings spread out. I hated how she knew I enjoyed when people did that.

" stop it." I said, folding my wings back into a position where she couldn't reach that point.

" oh. I thought you liked when I did that." Scarlett sneered. I decided to admit it,

" that's the problem. I did like it. I don't want you to know what I like. I'm surprised you remembered that." I told her. She smiled,

" I know you Kuro, much better than you think." She said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I sighed, but let her. I looked down at the ground as we passed over it.

" hey, look. We're almost there." I looked at Scarlett to see she was pointing to a large house in the distance. Charizard flew faster then landed on the roof. Scarlett got down, I followed but the numb feeling hadn't left completely yet. It had left my wings and upper body, but my legs were still weak so Scarlett helped support me as we went through a door on the roof, going down stairs. Scarlett led me into the living room. I scoffed,

" you kept your throne. I'm not surprised." I laughed, sitting down on the sofa. Scarlett sat in her throne,

" I like it. It makes me feel important." she replied, smiling. I was trying not to laugh; laughing made it feel too much like old times.

" so now what?" I asked.

" it's late. I say we both get some sleep then in the morning we'll make a plan." Scarlett said.

" come on, I had a bedroom prepared for you." she added, holding her hand out. I paused, looking at her hand then sighed and took it, letting her pull me to my feet. Scarlett grinned triumpantly as we walked back upstairs. She led me into a room with a large window and a balcony. I looked at her in surprise and she smiled. I looked around the room, but as soon as I took my attention from Scarlett I felt something heavy clasp around my wrist. I turned back sharply and saw some sort of metal device sitting tightly around my wrist; the way a watch would sit, only that's not what this was. It was something else entirely. My eyes widened when I realised just what it was,

" I am not...!"

" it's just a precation. If you behave, I won't have to use it." Scarlett purred. I pulled at it, trying to get it off. Scarlett smirked, holding up a tiny key,

" this is the only thing that can remove it. You can try all you want." I swiped at the key, but she moved her hand and I missed. She touched a button on some sort of device she had attached to her belt and it sent a shock from the device on my wrist through my body. I groaned and winced, I knew this was just a warning. Scarlett's device had six buttons; I imagined they were for different voltages. I sighed and stepped back. Scarlett left the room and locked the door. I moved back and sat down, slumping against a wall. I had never felt more defeated.


	8. Chapter 8

**disclaimer: I own nothing but Kuro and Scarlett**

I opened my eyes and quickly stood up as I heard my door unlocking. I backed off and saw Scarlett opening the door cautiously. Someone I didn't recognise was behind her. I scowled, on guard; the last time Scarlett had a visitor over I was beaten half to death.

" is this the half breed?" the teenage girl behind Scarlett asked softly,

" yeah. You don't have to be afraid of him. I've got him under control." Scarlett replied. I narrowed my eyes and bent my hand, making my fingers blacken as I summounded a shadow claw. I bent my arm back, as if preparing to use it, but the shadow claw faded when a surge of electricity flowed through my body and drove me to my knees.

" see? perfectly under control." Scarlett said smugly. The other girl nodded and slowly approached me while I was on the ground, I looked up at her, breathing slightly heavily but stayed still.

" be good Kuro or I'll put the voltage higher." Scarlett warned, then added,

" this is my good friend Lisa. I travelled with her for a few months and she became fasinated with the idea of a half breed pokemon, so I told her I'd introduce the two of you."

" I think the voltage might've been too high, Scarlett." Lisa said softly, she seemed shy; not meeting anybody's gaze. I shook my head and slowly pulled myself to my feet, trying not to alarm her.

" I'm fine. I've had worse." I told her. She nodded, relieved. I looked over her head at Scarlett. Lisa was a short girl, she only reached my shoulder if we stood side by side.

" Lisa. You can come with me to greet my visitors, leave Kuro alone for a while." Scarlett offered,

" visitors?" I asked. Scarlett smiled at me, but the way she did sent a shiver down my spine; it was the way she smiled before she did something that ended badly for me.

" rich humans that collect exotic pokemon." she explained. I gasped,

" they hired you. That's why you captured me. You're going to sell me to the highest bidder!" I yelled, furious. She gave a one shouldered shrugg. A repressed memory dawned on me, giving me answers,

_**I was about five years younger; around 11. I remembered living with Scarlett's family since finding me in the woods as a stumpy winged toddler. Scarlett's mother raised me alongside her two daughters; Scarlett and Maxine and her loyal Growlithe. It wasn't until I was 11 years old that I discovered the true reason behind their generousity. I stopped outside the office and listened as mother talked to some strange man,**_

_**"... he suspects nothing. He truly believes he belongs with us." I heard mother say**_

_**" I'll be ready to take him home later this week." the man replied,**_

_**" I think that would be best. I don't want my girls around him much longer. He accidently broke Maxine's arm in a tussle." Mother said, with a hint of disgust in her voice,**_

_**" I apprechiate you keeping him strong and healthy. You will be payed for your trouble of course. The boy was good at hiding himself. I'm glad you decided to come forward." the man said. They went silent for a few seconds then I heard Scarlett come in. I felt better; Scarlett would stand up for me,**_

_**" what are you doing mom?" She asked. **_

_**" listen Scarlett. I know you and Maxine have grown attached to Kuro, but this man is who he truly belongs with." mother replied,**_

_**" what do you mean? We found him. He's ours." Scarlett said, firmly,**_

_**" no Scarlett. He isn't. We were only looking after him, but this man is here to take him back to the people he really belongs to. The ones who created him." Mother explained. I couldn't help a gasp of surprise and pain. They must have heard it, because mother opened the door,**_

_**" Kuro!" She cried in surprise. The man's eyes lit up in expectation. I backed off, but mother grabbed my wrist,**_

_**" please understand Kuro. You know your not really human. We were never able to explain to you how you were born, but this man can. Please just trust us." mother said as she guided me into the room. I only then noticed Maxine, who was sixteen at the time, stand in the corner. She hadn't spoken while I was listening in, but now she did,**_

_**" why just hand him over? I'm sure this guy isn't the only one looking for Kuro. We can gather a bunch of people and have, like an auction or something." She offered. I glanced at Scarlett and she looked back at me, fearfully. Scarlett didn't want to lose me to anybody,**_

_**" Run Kuro!" She yelled and we both suddenly took off, racing down the stairs. I hadn't had much practise flying, but when we reached the garden I whipped my wings out and flapped while we ran to take off properly. When I lifted off I grabbed Scarlett and held onto her tightly. She looked down at her sister, mother and that man as they chased us. We soon lost them when I flew over the woods. **_

_**" what now?" I asked,**_

_**" um... my grandparents have a summer house they hardly use. Let's hide there." Scarlett offered. Following her directions I flew towards the summer house. **_

_**We lived there safely for about a year and a half, but then Scarlett took after her older sister. I walked into the living room to see about six men in suits,**_

_**" Scarlett. What's going on?" I asked fearfully, looking at my 'adopted sister.' **_

_**" I'm sorry Kuro, but I can't live like this anymore. Maxine had the right idea. You don't belong with us, not really." Scarlett said, regret in her eyes. I gasped and backed away, not able to believe it...**_

" Kuro... Kuro... Kuro!"

I blinked and looked at Scarlett,

" you blacked out for no reason. What happened?" She demanded,

" you tried to sell me off to the highest bidder when we were twelve!" I snarled. She stepped back in surprise,

" why are you bringing that up? You attacked the men, knocked most of them out, then talked me out of it and we left my grandparents summer home together." She said. I scowled in confusion,

" but you're trying to do the exact same thing now." I hissed. She rolled her eyes,

" Kuro. You hate me, you didn't really expect me to try and keep you, did you?" She asked, then looked back at Lisa,

" you go on ahead and let the bidders know I'm bringing the half breed down." She commanded. Lisa nodded and cast me a sympathetic glance before leaving.

" I'm not going!" I snarled. Scarlett smiled,

" I knew you would get on like this." She said, almost proudly as she unclipped a pokeball off her belt,

" oh come on! That's cheating!" I cried as she realised her Butterfree. I leapt at it and used shadow claw, but Scarlett shocked me with that device and stunned me long enough for her Butterfree to use sleep powder. Instead of fighting sleep this time, since I knew I would lose, I just relaxed and saved myself the trouble. __


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Kuro and Scarlett.**

I didn't really want to open my eyes, not knowing where I would be, but knew I'd have to do it sooner or later. I opened my eyes anyway to see I was on a stage in one of the spare rooms. I was on a chair and tried to get up, but my hands were tied behind my back to the chair. I growled when I saw Scarlett further over on the stage and a bunch of men sitting below the stage along with that girl Lisa. One of the men looked at me and got up.

" Kuro!" He called as if I was supposed to know him. I glared at him and used shadow claw to break the rope. I stood up and whipped my wings out. Scarlett turned round and gaped. I attacked her with shadow ball then shot up towards the glass ceiling of the room. I braced myself and crashed right through it. I glided in the air; looking down as all the humans paniced and tried to get away from the falling glass. I laughed and pulled a few shards from my arms as I felt the wind flowing through my feathers. I curved my body and shot forward, catching the north winds.

" Kuro!" I barely heard Scarlett's voice over the wind. I looked over my shoulder to see her getting on her Charizard's back. I knew if I let her get close enough she'd use that electric thing. I didn't hang around, I flew even faster and disappeared into the trees. I didn't know how long I would have to fly for before I lost the Chairzard, or if I would even be able to out-fly it. I did have a head start though and I used the advantage. Once I saw a mountain on the horizon I looked back over my shoulder to see Charizard was almost out of my sight entirely. I flared my wings up and dropped out of the sky, but leveled out and kept flying just before I hit the ground, so Scarlett couldn't see me through the trees. I kept going until I reached the mountain then I flew back up. I knew the Charizard had stopped, but I could barely see it anymore; just a dot on the horizon. I caught the wind and flew around the mountain then headed towards the town I could see in the distance. I landed outside town and folded my wings tight against my back so they were out of sight and went into town to grab new clothes; Scarlett would look for me based on what I was wearing and it was time for a change anyway. I ran through backyards and grabbed a blue-green t-shirt along with a long black jacket that went almost to my knees and knee length dark blue trousers, from different washing lines then took four bandages from a shop, in and out before anybody noticed. I left town again and got changed. I put two of the bandages of each arm from my elbows to my wrist and the other two from just below my knees to my ankles; to cover the worst of the slices I got when I crashed through the window of Scarlett's house. Once I was sure nobody was nearby I spread my wings and started flying again; away from the mountain and the small town, away from people. I'd never let anybody hurt me again, not let anybody get near me ever again. That was going to become the main rule I lived by, now and forever.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett. **

Once I was completely sure Scarlett wouldn't find me, I allowed myself to rest. I'd been flying for hours and I was exhausted. I dropped onto a tree branch and gripped the trunk to help keep my balance as my wings hung down limply; I didn't even have the energy to fold them. I panted hard as I looked around. I was standing on a tree that was on the edge of a field. There was a single house at the other side of the field, I guessed it was a farm. I sighed, but didn't have the energy to find somewhere else. Instead I climbed as far up as I could, to the highest branch that would take my weight and lay down with my back leaning against the trunk. I closed my eyes and welcomed sleep, happy it was voluntary this time.

I yawned and opened my eyes again, feeling much better. I streched and looked around, remembering where I was. I glanced back at the farm house, but the sun was only just peeking over the horizon and the humans wouldn't be awake yet. I had to leave now or I wouldn't get another chance. I jumped out of the tree and spread my wings, catching the wind and soaring up. As I flew away from the tree a tiny chirping made me stop. I looked over my shoulder to see a nest of three tiny little pidgeys, chirping at me. I flew back and looked at them curiously, making them cheep more excitedly. I saw their mother soaring high above us, watching me. I was about to move away from her babies when lights came on inside the farmhouse and a man came out with a shotgun. I quickly stepped onto the branch and swung round to the other side of the tree, folding my wings beneath my jacket. I stayed still, praying he hadn't seen me, but it wasn't me he was aiming at. The Pidgeot flew towards him, cawing furiously; he was going to kill her babies. She attacked him, doing quite a bit of damage. I flinched and closed my eyes when I heard the gunshot. I opened them again when I heard footsteps come closer. I tensed, ready to protect the baby pidgeys, but he ignored them; picking up the mother's body and going back into the farmhouse. I looked at the chicks. They chirped sadly to each other, somehow knowing what just happened. Then they looked at me, as if I was somehow the one they expected to take care of them. I looked back at the farmhouse and knew, sooner or later, that man was going to come back. I looked back at the chicks and scooped them up in my arms,

" come on. I'll get you a new, safer home." I promised then flew away from the farm house.

The chicks huddled together and soon settled into sleep. I couldn't help smiling as I glided effortlessly through the skies, always making sure to stay above the clouds in case somebody saw me.

I eventually came to a cave part way up another mountain. I gathered sticks and leaves from the woods and build a small nest before placing the chicks inside. There were two boys and one girl. One of the boys, I noticed was a darker brown than his brother and sister and the girl's tail feathers were slightly shorter than her brothers. I wondered if they had names; I can speak to other pokemon just as easily as I can speak to humans, I could only hear chirps from the pidgeys because they were too young to talk yet, I guessed they were only one or two weeks old. I left the cave to gather food as they slept, assumping they'd be asleep for a while. I came back with a large amount of tiny berries. I crushed about half of the berries for the chicks and ate the other half myself.

When the chicks woke up I gathered the crushed berries in my hand and held it under their beaks. Just like I hoped, they began eating; not needing to chew because the berries were crushed into mush that was easy to swallow. The chicks chirped contentedly when they'd ate their fill. They waddled over and curled up against my chest. I smiled and gently stroked their necks. They cooed happily and settled down, falling asleep again.

I spent the next few weeks with the chicks, living in the cave and raising them. They could definetly talk now and rarely let me forget it. Much to their annoyence though, they weren't quite ready to fly; the darker brown male tried constantly but could never get the hang of it. He was the most adventurest of the chicks and he was also the eldest so I named him Ace. I named the other male Chaos because he was quite clumsy and usually ended up wreaking their nest on an almost daily basis and I named the girl Gem because when the sun hit her almost golden feathers she shone like a gemstone.

I sat on a branch watching Ace, Chaos and Gem run along the ground, making half jumping leaps as they chased a Caterpie. This was their first solo hunt. I could hear their excited laughter as the green bug went as fast as it could. After another few seconds they pounced on it, killing it then they faught over it, eating hungrily. I smiled, loving the content company they gave me. They didn't remember their mother and constantly came to me with questions and questions about what happened, but I wasn't going to tell them until they were old enough to accept it.

" Kuro! Kuro, look!" I glanced at Chaos as he called me; they all were eager to show me their very first kill. I congratulated them then looked at the sky, scanning for intruders. I found I'd been doing that more often lately, having a bad feeling that someone uninvited was going to turn up and I couldn't take it much longer. I whistled for the chicks and leapt to the ground as they ran towards me,

" listen kids. You know when I told you stories about moving on and travelling together?" I said to them, watching them nod excitedly.

" well, I think that day has come."

" but, we can't fly yet." Gem pointed out.

" yeah, but you can rest on my back while I fly. You can watch how I catch the wind currents and try it yourselves when we stop to sleep somewhere." I said. The three chicks cheered and leapt up and down. I knelt on the ground and helped them onto my back. They dug their tiny claws into my skin until I got into the air and was able to level my body. They relaxed their grip and chattered happily to each other about being in the air and how they can't wait to fly for themselves, while I focused on staying as level as possible so none of them would fall off.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett.**

**Read and review please.**

I'd found a really good home for me and the chicks during our travels; a large rockbed in a canyon that provided lot's of cover and shade and one of the rocks had a large hole inside it that provided really good sleeping quaters and there was a forest just beyond the canyon that had a continous food source. Each rock in the rockbed was bigger than a tree so it provided a good place to take off from; the three chicks were just about ready to fly now.

I stood on a flat top of one of the rocks with the three chicks, giving them their last lesson before they tried to fly for themselves. They'd gotten almost fully grown now. I spread my wings out and they copied,

" the best way to take off when your just starting is to get a good running start and flap while you run, to generate wind within your feathers so you can take off painlessly." I explained.

" but Kuro. You can just jump off and start flying, why can't we start like that?" Ace asked,

" because it takes a lot of practise to do that and it puts strain on your wing muscles." I replied.

" come on. I wanna get started." Chaos cried and ran forward, flapping his wings. Gem and Ace followed. When they reached the edge of the rock they lifted into the air and flapped their wings furiously to stay airborne. I took off and flew just behind them, incase they needed me. Gem was the first to exhaust herself. She flapped harder, but started moving downwards, finding it hard to stay in the air. I flew faster and caught her, then did the same with the boys when they started sagging.

" I could've landed, Kuro!" Ace cried indignantly,

" it takes practise to land on your feet without crashing. I'll teach you how to do that when you can fly for longer." I said then left them in the nest while I went to find food. I gathered as many berries as I could carry; the chicks ate a lot. I flew back towards our home, but noticed something out of the corner of my eye. There were some humans entering the canyon, starting to climb down it. They must be looking for rare pokemon. I shot forward towards my pidgeys; I'd developed an instinctive protectivness over them.

" Ace! Chaos! Gem! Inside the cave!" I yelled, landing in the middle of the rock bed. The chicks leapt off the small flat rocks and ran into the cave in the rock to stay out of sight. I leapt to the top of the rock and watched the humans. There was three of them, all fully grown. They walked around, holding pokeballs. I narrowed my eyes as they headed towards the rockbed. I needed to keep them away. I leapt back down and went into the cave.

" Listen you three. I'm going to get rid of the humans. I want you to stay in here and not come out no matter what? Ok?" The chicks nodded. I smiled at them then left. I whipped my wings out and shot into the air. I couldn't believe I was about to do this, but I needed to protect the pidgeys. I left the cover of the rock bed and shot over the humans heads, drawing their attention. I could hear them whispering in wonder and turned around in the air. I saw one of the humans lift a pokeball and smirked.

" if you want me, come and get me!" I yelled, soaring higher into the air. As I hoped, they followed me, running as fast as they could... They were faster than I expected and I had to work to keep ahead of them. The human who had the pokeball before threw it into the air and a Croconaw came out. It growled in anticaption for a fight. I spun in the air and sent a bunch of shadow balls towards it. Almost all of them hit,

" Croconaw! Use water gun!" The man called. I grinned and ducked out of the way; humans seemed to think just because I was part pokemon I was just going to come quietly.

" what is up with that pokemon? Why does it look human?" I heard the only woman in the group whisper to the men. I flew down at top speed and knocked the Croconaw out with shadow claw then flew off again. The human returned his pokemon and they ran after me. I flew around the canyon walls, hovering at the top. The humans hesitated, not sure if they should follow me to the top, but the desire to capture me was too great and they started climbing. They chased me far from the canyon. Eventually I decided they were far enough away and I flew straight up and disappeared above the clouds. I headed back to the canyon while they were looking around, trying to work out where I'd gone.

I landed on the ground in front of the cave and called to the chicks,

" you can come out now!" I waited a few seconds then got worried when there was no sign of them. I searched all through the cave; they were gone. I growled in annoyence, I'd told them to stay put! I left the cave and flew into the air, looking around but I couldn't spot them,

" Ace! Gem! Chaos!" I called as I flew around. I thought of going to the Flygon nest; the chicks were good friends with the young Trapinch there. I turned round and flew further down the canyon.

" Flygon!" I called. The Flygon mother looked up,

" Kuro? what are you doing here?" She asked.

" It's important. Have you seen my Pidgey chicks?" I panted.

" no. Not since yesterday. What happened?" She asked again.

" I led off some humans who were getting too close to their nest and when I got back they were gone." I explained. Flygon nodded,

" I'll help you look." She said and called for the rest of the Flygon's of the group; she was the leader of the group along with her mate and children and she was a good friend of mine, she was the one who showed me the small cave in the rockbed. She told the other Flygon's to search the area for three young Pidgeys. I took off back into the air and hovered still, making my eyesight spread to every crack and crevice along the ground, searching carefully for any tiny little sign. When I saw nothing I flew to the other side of the canyon. When I was passing a large crack in the canyon wall I heard an angry hissing noise and a couple of scared whimpers. The crack was only just large enough for me to slip into. I gripped the wall and folded my wings really tightly against my back and stepped in. I stood still for a few seconds and let my eyesight adjust to the darkness, thankful that I could see much better in the dark than human's could. I walked through the crack in the canyon wall, listening intently. After a long walk everything got wider and I saw the three chicks huddled against the wall, with two angry Zangoose snarling at them. Ace was trying his best to be brave and protect his brother and sister, but none of them knew how to fight; I was planning on training him once they mastered basic flying. Seeing my three chicks being cornered like that made me feel fury greater than any I'd felt before and I knew what that meant was going to happen; something that had only happened once before... My fourth attack, Flare Blitz. I only ever used it when it was nessessary or when I felt as angry as I did right now. My body was engulfed in red flames, lighting up the entire cavern. The Zangoose turned round and gaped in amazement and fear. My chicks were afraid as well; not knowing what was going to happen. I snarled and backed up only a few steps, before racing forward and slamming into the Zangoose. They flew backwards and hit the wall, fainting immediately. Once I saw them unconsious my rage left along with the flames and my own energy. My legs gave out and I collasped onto the ground; that was why I only used flare blitz as a last resort; it had massive recoil damage. The chicks cautiously came over to me,

" it's ok. The Zangoose won't harm you again and I wish you hadn't have had to see that." I muttered, then Ace shocked me by yelling,

" that was awesome! You're seriously strong Kuro!" I blinked and noticed Chaos and Gem were nodding in agreement.

" flattery won't get you out of explaining why you decided to run off." I told them. They looked at each other sheepishly, as if hoping I wouldn't mention it,

" well, we saw you lead those humans away and wanted to help." Ace began then Chaos took over,

" so we ran over to the edge of the canyon and tried to fly up to the top, but it was too high and we were forced to stop at the entrance of this cavern."

" then we heard noises coming from inside and decided to explore. We came to this big bit in here and saw those two Zangoose, but they didn't like us being in their nest and attacked us. You showed up just after that." Gem finished. I growled and the three chicks backed away, afraid. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair,

" you know I have the whole Flygon clan out looking for you? When I say don't wander off, I mean it!" I said firmly. The three chicks nodded and softly uttered apologies. I sighed again and stood up, still feeling a little shaky but I had to get them home and call off the search. I picked them up and walked back to the entrance. I jumped out of the crack and spread my wings. I flew straight to the Flygon leader; the one I talked to before. She smiled,

" you found them then. Where were they?" She asked.

" I found them in the Zangoose nest, trespassing." I replied. Flygon looked at me,

" surely you could've handled a couple Zangoose. Why are you so hurt?" She asked.

" oh. They were threatening the Pidgeys and I used flare blitz." Flygon nodded in understanding.

" I just let you know so you could call off the search. I gotta get these three home." I said and watched her take off into the air to tell the others. I did the same, heading home. The chicks ran inside as soon as I set them down, as soon as I lay down to rest they curled up together against my chest. I thought back to the only other time I'd used flare blitz. It was when I still lived with Scarlett, the first time.

_I ran from the rooftops, using my wings to propell me across from one to the other. I was thirteen at the time and I watched Scarlett walk through the dark streets with supplies. She didn't tell me what they were, just that they were important and I couldn't let anybody steal them. When she turned to go down an alley I noticed some people following her. I glided down to a fire escape to get a closer look; about three men with pokeballs in their hands. I watched closely, ready to go down if Scarlett needed me._

_" hey kid! You're in the wrong territory." The man in the middle called out. Scarlett looked over her shoulder,_

_" that's too bad. Maybe you should rethink your territory's location then." She replied, turning around to face them._

_" you'll regret crossing us!" The same man hissed as all three sent their pokeballs into the air. They had a Houndoom, a Luxray and a Mightyena. I growled and dropped down to stand between them and Scarlett, feeling real fury; they were the ones who would regret this. Scarlett smirked,_

_" who's this brat?" One of the men sneered, just as I whipped my wings out in full view. They gasped a little and drew back. It was a moonless night and all they could make out was a winged figure covered in darkness,_

_" never mind that! Houndoom flame thrower!" The man who threatened Scarlett called. The pokemon fired without hesitation. Just before the flame reached me my body burst into much hotter flames, the flamethrower just kind of died off when it hit my flames. The men drew back in fear while Scarlett laughed triumpantly. I shot forward and took out all their pokemon in one shot. The men returned their pokemon and ran off like the cowardly thugs they were. Once they were gone my flames went out and I collapsed._

_" Kuro?" Scarlett asked in surprise. I panted, but raised my hand to show her I was alright. She nodded then said,_

_" come. Home isn't too far from here. You make it there then you can rest." She said, without even a glimmer of concern in her voice. I nodded and pulled myself to my feet, making my way back home, following Scarlett as I always did. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett. **

I sat on the ground, leaning against some of the smaller rocks of our home. I watched the three chicks fly around above me; now that they can fly properly, they're never out of the air. When I've got a chance, I've been helping them develop their moves, they all know tackle, sand attack, gust and quick attack but so far, Ace seems to be the strongest. They learned quick attack at different times over the last few days so I'd say they were over level ten at least.

I looked at the chicks, wondering if they would be happier living where their kind is supposed to live, in fields and in the woods, rather than a canyon full of rock. I had doubts about whether me keeping them like this is what's really best for them. I sighed and picked up a stick, scratching shapes in the dirt while I let my mind drift. I thought of the life I led before settling down with the chicks; constantly on the run, knowing neither Scarlett nor those men she brought to her house were going to just let me go and for every day I stayed in one place, the more anxious and paranoid I became and even the chicks were beginning to notice, I didn't know if it was fair to them to drag them along with me in this life.

" um... Kuro?" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Gem looking at me,

" you ok?" She asked, glancing from me down to what I'd carved in the dirt. I followed her gaze and realised I'd subconsiously traced Scarlett's name and my name with an arrow pointing from her's to mine. I growled and swept more dirt over the carving; destroying it.

" who is Scarlett?" Gem asked, catching the names before I got rid of them,

" uh, she's... someone I used to travel with, but we split up because of... circumstances that I don't really want to talk about." I said finally. Gem opened her beak, then closed it again and turned away. I scanned the skies again for the fifth time this hour and let out a breath of relief when they were empty apart from the two male chicks. Gem looked at me again, worry in her eyes. She flapped her tiny wings and soared up to the boys. They were having a private conversation that I couldn't pick up on. I yawned, well aware of the dark shadows under my eyes; my paranoia was getting so bad that I was unable to sleep because I felt I was vulnerable in my sleep. I looked around the canyon, then watched the chicks. After a few minutes they flew down to me,

" Kuro? We've been talking about this for a while now and we think we should move on again. I mean, staying in one area for more than a night is clearly stressing you out and we understand that you can't tell us why, but we don't want to see you like this." Gem said. I blinked,

" are you sure?" I asked. They nodded,

" and another thing. You never really sleep anymore, but the times you do sleep, you always jolt yourself awake less than half an hour later, crying out and panting hard like something's scared you." Chaos added.

" oh, you caught that huh?" I said softly, looking away from them; it's getting harder to hide things from them than it used to be.

" alright. I'll get us some lunch and we'll head out." I said, but they shook their heads,

" we can get lunch now Kuro. You stay, take it easy." Ace said before they took off into the woods outside the canyon. I sighed and yawned again, scanning the sky for the sixth time this hour. I streched my wings out behind me and listened for the familar sound of small wings flapping, but even after ten minutes I still didn't hear them. I shot up into the air and headed into the forest after scanning the sky; to make sure they weren't around.

" Ace! Chaos! Gem!" I called, flying above the trees. I saw some other bird types in the woods, even some other Pidgeys, but none of them were my chicks. I circled the forest over and over, becoming desperate.

" Ace! Gem! Where are you?!" I yelled, dropping down through the trees, ignoring the slices that developed on my arms and face. I must have flew all through the woods about five times before I returned to the canyon. I looked through the cave, in case I missed them but I knew they hadn't been there. I rubbed my eyes and flew up again. I'd never stop until I found them. I soared back to the forest and searched every part once more, but didn't find a thing. I walked along the forest floor then stopped. I noticed something under the leaves, when I brushed them away my breath caught in my throat; tyre tracks. I looked in the direction they went then started to run, following them. I didn't know for sure if that's what happened to the chicks, but I did know it was the best shot I had. I followed the tyre tracks for a long time, until I came to a large plain with really long grass. I saw a white van parked in the middle and a few men were opening the doors at the back. They lifted out a few cages, but I couldn't see my Pidgeys anywhere. When the men went out of sight I glided over to the van and opened the cages that were sitting on the ground. I ignored the fleeing pokemon even as they shouted thank you. I stood just outside the van doors, looking inside while listening intently in case the humans came back. I put one foot inside the van and leaned in further, scanning all the cages but they were empty. I spun round when I heard footsteps. The two men stood about ten metres away, holding a cage. My eyes narrowed when I saw the chicks inside, unconsious. I growled and spread my wings. I tensed my legs, ready to leap at the humans.

" not so fast, boy. One wrong move and the Pidgeys get it." The human that wasn't holding the cage threatened as the other human held some sort of weapon and pointed it at the chicks. I held my position for another few seconds, waiting, but when the man angled the weapon through the bars I straightened up and folded my wings. The man who spoke before smiled triumphantly. Before he could say anything else, Ace stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at his brother and sister and chirped in alarm.

" Ace!" I called softly. Ace looked relieved when he saw me and it made me feel worse; I couldn't help him, but I could reassure him,

" they're fine, Ace. I promise. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, but I need you to trust me." I said softly. Ace still looked afraid but he nodded,

" how touching. Get in the van, boy." The man sneered. I held my ground for a few more seconds, then sighed in defeat and obeyed when I saw the other man move his weapon towards the cage even further. Once I obeyed though, he took it away again. I sat on the bench inside the van, in front of the walls on either side, and watched hopelessly as they started to close the doors,

" we'll be bringing your precious chicks with us, for insurance." The man sneered right before he closed the door and locked it. I knew I should've left the chicks with some other pidgeot family when they were younger. I didn't mean for them to get caught up in all this. The back of the van was seperated from the front by a solid wall so I couldn't see how they were treating the chicks, but I could hear and was so grateful when I no sounds of pain coming from them. I allowed a few tears to fall though, when I heard the frightened cheeps that meant Chaos and Gem had woken up. My mind wondered and I soon realised something; just how did those humans know what to do to make me submissive, how did they know about the Pidgeys? I tried not to think about that, because I knew that all that would accomplish, would be to irritate me because I had no answer. So, instead I slammed my fist against the wall until the knuckles were red and bleeding,

" cut that out kid! Or you know what will happen!" The man shouted after a while. I snarled, but didn't dare let myself lose control; if that happened I would use Flare Blitz and not only kill the humans but badly hurt the chicks as well, possibly kill them. I didn't know what to do. I got up and paced the van like a caged animal, growling at the same time. I clenched my injured hand, but was too wound up to register the pain. Time seemed to have stopped, there were no windows in the van.

Eventually the van came to a stop. I backed up all the way to the far wall, staring at the doors with my eyes narrowed and my muscles tensed. When the van doors opened I leapt forward, but drew up short just inside the door when I saw my chicks held, once more, inside a cage with a weapon pointed at them. I growled,

" your a monster!" I spat, showing teeth. The men simply laughed, not bothered in the least.

" now here's what I want you to do, boy. Co-operate and your... chicks will come to no harm." The man that wasn't holding the cage said, smirking triumpantly. My eyes fell on the chicks,

" don't listen to them Kuro! Please! It's you they want! You can't just give in to them!" The chicks all cried together. I sighed and looked away, closing my eyes.

" I'm yours, just... just don't hurt them." I muttered.

" well, that's not exactly true. We're just delivering you to your true master." The man said. I didn't look up, already having an idea who that was but when I heard someone come out of the large building we were standing in front of, I looked at them and gasped. It was the man who spoke to me at Scarlett's home, the one who thinks I should know him. The man who brought me here laughed, seeing my nervous surprise.

" it's good to see you again. Kuro, isn't that what your going by now?" He asked, acting friendly. I didn't reply, instead I looked from him to the chicks,

" oh of course." He said and took the cage from the other man,

" I don't want to give you a reason to fear me Kuro and I apologise for the way my men brought you here, but I doubt you'd have come willingly." He explained.

" I don't know who you are, but you better let those Pidgey's out of that cage." I said, I didn't bother to hide the threat that came into my voice when I spoke. The man looked hurt,

" I'm sorry Kuro, but I cannot. If I do, what's to stop you simply flying off." He replied. The other two men came behind me and I assumed they were getting in the van to leave, but instead they grabbed my arms and held me captive. I struggled, hard, but they held on. The man gave the chicks to someone else and they walked off,

" get back here! Don't you dare take them away!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, pulling hard against the grip on my arms and wrists.

" No!" I cried, when the chicks went out of my sight. I felt the solid, cold metal of handcuffs clamp around my wrists, holding my arms behind my back. I sighed and let the men pull me towards the large building. I wasn't going to escape without my chicks anyway, so I may as well try and see where they are.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett.**

**Read and review please.**

I quickly but carefully searched each and every room I passed as I was marched down the corridor for my chicks, but I didn't see them. Eventually I was brought into what looked like an office. That man was sitting behind a desk, watching me. On a shelf behind the man was my chicks; they had been moved into individual cages and given food. They also watched me as I was dragged into the room,

" what's the big idea?!" I snarled at the human. He looked hurt,

" what can I do to make you remember me Kuro?" He asked.

" Tell me who you are then explain why you hired these guys to capture me?!" I snarled,

" I'm the one who created you." He said. I paused,

"...what?" I asked, wanting to make sure I'd heard him right,

" I created you Kuro. I'm your dad." He repeated. The men let go of my arms then removed the handcuffs and I took a step back, shaking my head,

" I wasn't created. I was..." I trailed off so he said,

" born? Kuro, you weren't born. That's not even possible, sorry to tell you this but you were geneticly created with a mix of human and pokemon DNA." I looked away and my wings hung limply behind me,

" I was a lab test." I muttered, feeling like my whole life was a lie, a fake.

" Kuro! Don't let him do this! He's messing with you!" Chaos called.

" I'm an experiment." I said softly, not really registering what Chaos said.

" Kuro!" Ace yelled. I looked up at the chicks,

" you can't believe him Kuro! He's doing this on purpose!" Chaos cried.

" Kuro. If you hadn't of run off as a child this wouldn't be a shock to you, you would still be with me and you would know your true, hidden power." The man said.

" my... true power?" I asked. He nodded,

" what you can do currently is only a fraction of what you're capable of, but you can't unlock your power alone."

" don't accept his help Kuro! He's using you!" Gem called. The man glared at the chicks,

" take them out of here. I need to speak privately with my son." He hissed to a man who stood by the door at the other side of the room. As soon as he started to come forward, my life and energy came flooding back and a fire was in my eyes,

" don't touch them!" I snarled. The man... my father, seemed surprised but annoyed at this. I kept my eyes locked on the other man, ready to move as soon as he did. He did try. He ran forward, but when he reached me I grabbed his arm and threw him into the wall, screaming in anger. He slumped against the ground, unconsious. I turned back to my creator,

" if you lay one hand on the chicks you'll have the same fate." I warned, using a feral growl to speak but he simply smiled,

" you care for them like a father, I didn't think you would've been capable of such acts when I made you." He said fondly. The animalistic anger left me, leaving me feeling weak and confused. The man got up and walked around the table, towards me, but he stopped before he reached me, knowing I was still unstable with barely contained instinctive fury.

" what would you trade me for the chicks safety and freedom?" He asked, carefully and softly.

" if you let them fly away right now and swear to let them stay free then..." I trailed off and sighed,

" I'll do anything you ask of me." I added, softly.

" No! Kuro!" The three chicks screamed. The man allowed me to go to their cages and open them, but they refused to come out. I lifted them out and walked to the window,

" go. I want you to go find a nice forest somewhere, maybe meet others of your kind and live peacefully." I said softly,

" but Kuro!" Gem protested,

" please. Promise me." I whispered,

" we can't leave you here with that monster." Ace hissed softly with sadness in his voice,

" I'll be alright. I've been with worse monsters." I said then flung my arms out the window, throwing the chicks into the air where they were forced to fly. I closed the window before they could fly back. After a few seconds of hovering outside, they flew away. I stood at the window, watching them until they went out of sight entirely. I rubbed my eyes to get rid of the tears that had appeared.

" now son, I upheld my end of the bargin and let your Pidgeys go, now you have to uphold yours." My father said, still using that friendly tone. I didn't buy it, but I couldn't back out now.

" don't look so defeated Kuro, I only want to help you unlock your true power." He said,

" why? Why do you want to help me? There must be something you're getting in return." I responded, still staring out the window. He didn't reply for a few minutes,

" it's sundown now, why don't I arrange a room for you to sleep in, then in the morning I'll help you unlock your true power?" He offered. I grudgingly nodded and followed him out of the office. He led me to a large bedroom with a double bed, but I had no intention of sleeping; not in this place where anything could happen. Once the man left the room and I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore I walked to the window and tried to open it, but he must have thought of that because it was locked from the outside. I gave a smirk that showed teeth as another thought came to me. I looked at the clock on the wall and decided that as soon as it reached midnight I'd carry out my escape plan. I paced around the room for about an hour before I sat on the windowsill and stared out at the increasingly darkening sky.

When the clock eventually reached midnight I got off the window seat and hovered in the air above the window for a few seconds then lunged forward and smashed the window with a well aimed kick at the centre. I knew the sound would attract attention, but I never thought actual alarms would go off. I shot through the window and took off away from the house. I saw guards running outside, pointing at me. I saw them point a gun at me so I flew faster. A few seconds later I felt a sharp jab in my right shoulder. I quickly glanced over my shoulder and saw a small feathered dart sticking into my skin. I started to feel numb and drowsy. After another few seconds my wings stopped working and I fell out of the sky. Something caught me before I hit the ground and I glanced up to see it was two of the guards that chased me from the mansion. My father stood behind them and he took me from them,

" I'm disappointed Kuro. I thought we reached an understanding. I let your chicks go after all. If you insist on breaking your deal I could always go after them again."

" no. Leave them out of it." I mumbled sleepily, unable to even make a decent threat, but he understood. He smiled and started to walk towards the mansion again,

" if you can't be trusted, I may have to chain you to the wall. You don't want that, do you?" He asked. I snorted, looking away from him. He walked in through the mansion doors around the same time sleep took me completely.

I woke up in some sort of lab, lying on a table with a wire coming out of my arm. I sat up and grabbed the wire, about to yank it out,

" ah! Stop right there Kuro. Don't touch that wire." My 'father' called. The distress in his voice made me freeze then let go of it.

" what's that machine it's attached to?" I demanded. He walked over to the table,

" this is what will unlock your true power Kuro." He explained. I didn't trust this, but suddenly decided I needed answers,

" so you really created me?" I asked. The man paused, then nodded,

" yes Kuro. I created you."

" what happened? I mean, how did you lose me? How did I get away?" I asked.

" well... One day, when you were about three years old. You weren't able to run very far or fly at all yet, so I thought it was safe to go out for a while, but while I was gone you decided it was a good idea to jump out the second story window. You'd never flew before and the gardeners that were in the garden tried to catch you, but fear must have unlocked potential because you just flew, for the very first time, you flew way out of sight, into the woods. One of the gardeners phoned me and I came straight home to look for you, but I'm afraid you were just long gone. By that time, Amanda had taken you in." He explained. I nodded; Scarlett's mum. She found me in the woods as a toddler so his story checked out.

" why did you create me?" I demanded instead,

" well, to tell you the truth, Kuro. I created you because me wife and I, we couldn't have children and she desperately wanted one. But one day, out of the blue, she was attacked by a mugger and was put in hospital. I made you to combine the child she wanted, with the protector I felt she needed, so I made you human with the strength of a pokemon, but just before I completed what was needed to combine the two DNA's safely, she died. She died of her injuries in the hospital, but before she died she made a request. That I would complete my experiment and love him like my own son, but in my grief I did something wrong. You were supposed to be human with only a pokemon's strength, but if you become either really furious and really afraid you get taken over by an instinctive beastial need to attack, just like a cornered pokemon, and that, I'm afraid, is where all that hidden power lies."

I listened to his story but the ending was what confused me.

" What do you mean?" I asked. He seemed glad I asked,

" well if we can channel that rage into pure power you can access all of your strength anytime." He explained.

" Wait. Are you saying my 'true power' comes from my rage and fear and you want to harness that..." I trailed off as it all clicked,

" I get it. I get why you want to 'help' me access this power. You want to take it for yourself, if you can get me to harness this power then control me, you control all that power. That's the real reason you made me isn't it?!" I snarled, pulling the wire out of my wrist and kicking the machine into the wall, wrecking it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett**

**Read and review please.**

After destroying the machine I turned to my creator and growled.

" I don't care what deal I made! I'm not going to let you harness my powers like that!" I hissed, spreading my wings out.

" Kuro. Calm down, you completely misunderstood. That's not my intent!" My creator cried, trying to calm me down. He failed. I didn't believe him. I narrowed my eyes and conjured a shadow ball. I hit him in the stomach with it, knocking him into a wall where he fainted. I raced out the door and turned left, running down a corridor. I was tired of doing this, but I figured one more time couldn't hurt. I leapt out a window and winced at the glass that embedded itself in my skin. I ignored it and spread my wings, flying level before I hit the ground. I flew around the roof of the building, trying to remember the direction my Pidgey's went; I wanted to make sure they were alright and say goodbye properly this time. I sighed as nothing was familiar to me, but either way I had to get out of here before my creator comes to. I shot off at full speed when I heard the alarms start to go off. I went above the clouds so I couldn't be seen; I didn't want to be shot with those feathered darts again. I didn't know where to go next so I let my instincts take over, but the strangest thing was they were leading me back down towards the house. I flew down to a window and looked inside. The room was empty so I decided is was safe to go in, for now at least. I slid the window open and slipped inside. I looked around and saw nothing but a large desk on the other side of the room. I folded my wings and walked over to it. There was dozens of papers all spread around it. I quickly looked through them until I found one with my name. I read it and my breath caught in my throat; this man was not my creator and he stole me from my real creator. He hired somebody to kidnap me when I was too young to possibly fight back... and the person he hired was Scarlett's mother. She raised me under his watch all those years and together they made sure my true creator couldn't find me. I found out my true creator's name and address and memorised it.

" Kuro?" I spun round to see that man standing in the doorway.

" so you found out the truth then?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes,

" the truth? You're a filthy backstabber who steals other people's work." I hissed. The man gave a soft laugh,

" and that's all you'll ever be. An experiment, sombody's work. You don't own your life Kuro. Your creator does."

" but that's not you. So you don't own me!" I snapped, trying not to show how much his words hurt.

" it will be though. Your creator is on his way here right now and he will sign you over to me." The man said confedently. I growled,

" and I'm afraid you'll have to stay here until then." He added and took something out of his pocket, my eyes widened; that was the device Scarlett used to electrocute me using that stupid bracelet I was never able to get off.

" how did you get that?!" I snarled.

" your dear friend Scarlett gave it to me, we're working together, you see and have been for a long time." He said then it dawned on me.

" you're the one who was with Scarlett that day she tried to have me killed." I cried. He nodded,

" I wanted to see how you would survive out in the wild, alone while you were injured." He said in an apologetic tone, then held the remote up and used it. The shock drove me to my knees and he called in some guards. I was too weak to resist as they led me out of the room and down the stairs just as a car drove down the driveway towards the house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett.**

**Read and review.**

I watched as my real creator came inside the building. He was an older man with greying hair and brown eyes. I pulled away from the guards that were holding me and ran down the stairs. The man looked at me and his eyes lit up,

" Cael?" He asked. I stopped,

" Cael? My name's not Cael." I replied. The man frowned,

" you don't remember, do you?" He asked. I turned round when I heard laughing and saw that man walking down the stairs,

" Matthew." My creator growled in greeting.

" the boy doesn't remember anything, Frank. He only knows your his creator because he found my notes. Just an hour ago he thought I created him." The man, Matthew, laughed. My creator looked at me,

" so if you didn't remember your real name, what did you call yourself?" He asked.

" Kuro. My name is Kuro." I replied hesitantly. My creator, Frank, turned to Matthew

" you went to all this trouble to keep me away from my own creation. Why bring us together now?" He asked. Matthew smirked,

" because I want you to give up ownership rights, to give the experiment to me." He explained

" and why on Earth would I do that?" Frank hissed,

" because with this device I can electrocute him at different levels, even with a high enough voltage to end his life. I know you don't want that, so you would give him to me rather than kill him." Matthew explained, holding up that remote

" you're bluffing." Frank snapped,

" no!" I called, just before the pain flared through my body. I cried out as I could barely stay standing. Frank's eyes widened slightly in concern but I shook my head; telling him not to. Matthew put the voltage up and my knees buckled, sending me to the ground where I writhed in pain, crying out.

" Cael! Stop it you monster!" Frank ordered, but Matthew didn't stop.

" alright. Alright, I'll do it, just stop." Frank said. Matthew smirked triumphantly and turned it off. I gasped as the pain faded. Frank held his hand out for me. I accepted it and let him pull me to my feet. Matthew gave him a contract to sign; giving Matthew ownership over me. Frank pulled me to the side and whispered to me,

" listen Cael. No matter what happens, I want you to know that even if he legally owns you, you don't have to obey him. I want you to work constantly to get yourself out, away from him."

I nodded, knowing wanting to say I didn't think I could. My breathing was ragged as I tried to will away the remaining pain.

" Frank. Can you do me a favour?" I gasped out. My creator nodded,

" yes, son. Anything." He said instantly and I smiled as he said son. My legs could barely hold my weight so Frank was gripping my arms. I whispered to him, so my new owner wouldn't hear,

" I have three little pidgeys. They were caught along with me but I managed to get them out. I want you to find them and look after them. Tell them Kuro sent you and they should go with you." I begged. Frank looked a little surprised, but he nodded, promising me. He walked over and signed the contract. Matthew, my new owner, smirked triumphantly then told his guards to escort Frank away.

" come Kuro. We have much to do." Matthew barked then headed up the stairs. I waited, watching the guards almost force Frank out the door then slowly followed my master, feeling once again, helpless and hopeless.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I only own Kuro and Scarlett**

I'd been training in this arena for hours and I was exhausted. I wiped sweat off my forehead and let my wings droop, too tired to hold them up.

"Kuro! I didn't say you could stop!" I heard my new master's voice ring out into the arena,

"oh let it have a break." I flinched at the other voice, it was the first time I'd heard it, but I knew automatically who it belonged to. I turned and looked up to the balcony where Matthew was sitting, watching me, to see Scarlett standing next to him. She met my eye and I looked away, not before catching her smirk.

"you don't want it to die from exhaustion before you've had a chance to use it now do you?" Scarlett purred. I looked back up at them, hating when people talked about me like I wasn't even alive, but what worried me the most was how everybody kept saying how they wanted to use me for something. I hoped whatever bad thing I must've done in another life was worth it, because I was paying for it now. I turned my back on Matthew and Scarlett and prepared a shadow claw. I stared at the flickering shadows surrounding my fingers, turning them into claws.

"Kuro!" I jumped and the shadow claw faded. I looked over my shoulder at my master,

"you can have a rest, since Scarlett insisted, but I want you to obey her commands for the next hour, as I have business to attend to elsewhere." He ordered. I looked over from him to Scarlett, as he got up and left. Scarlett gestured for me to come. I sighed and started flapping my wings. When I left the ground I flew over to the balcony.

"Let's go for a walk, Kuro. Follow me." Scarlett said then turned and left through the door at the other side of the balcony. I landed, folded my wings and followed her.

I walked with Scarlett into the garden, but knew better than to try and fly; I could see that stupid electrifying device in her pocket.

"So, I heard you became a dad. Congrats!" She taunted playfully, smiling, referring to my pidgeys,

"of course you did. Nothing ever gets past the mighty Scarlett." I muttered and Scarlett frowned,

"seriously, Kuro…. Are you alright? I've been watching you train the last few days and Matthew says you've mostly been moping around when not training. It's like you have no spark or life anymore." She said softly.

"What's the point? I'm not getting out of this one, not with all these guards around the place and with this thing around my wrist I'd be heavily electrocuted for even trying." I replied, dully, staring down at the ground.

Scarlett stared at me with what looked like concern, something that looked unnatural on her face. She gently took my hand and seemed surprised when I gave no resistance. She led me back towards the building, obviously not knowing what else to do.

"I think you've had enough training for today. Why don't you go back to your room and rest?" Scarlett said, glancing at my obviously worn out body.

I walked up to my bedroom and sat on the windowsill staring out at the sky, the way I always did when I was in my room. I never ever used the bed provided for me; when I was tired enough I just fell asleep where I was and remained still enough that I didn't fall off. Despite this, the dark circles under my eyes never left.

I knew Scarlett was standing at the doorway, but I didn't move; just kept staring out the window.

I wondered constantly if Frank, my true creator had managed to find my pidgeys and if they trusted him enough to go with him. All I wanted anymore was for the three of them to be safe and happy. I'd lost the ability to care about anything else. I'd resigned myself to living out the rest of my life here.

"whatever's out there must be pretty interesting, for you to sit here staring at it day after day." Scarlett said, coming into my room,

"it's the sky." I replied, dully. Scarlett sighed,

"is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" She asked,

"set me free." I responded, but she shook her head,

"I can't do that. I work for Matthew and you belong to him, I'd get into so much trouble if I set you free." She replied then added,

"but if there's anything else?"

I shook my head, knowing there wasn't anything else there could be.

"What if I arrange for you to visit your creator and your pidgeys? Would that help?" Scarlett asked, after a while.

"Could you?" I replied, not wanting to get my hopes up,

"of course. Though, I would have to be with you and I would have ways of making sure you can't escape, but you'd have some freedom." She explained. I needed to get out of this building, so I agreed.

The next day, Matthew, Scarlett and I were standing in the main entrance. Matthew brought out a long pair of handcuffs. He clipped one side to Scarlett's wrist and the other to mine. That was the condition for allowing me out.

Once we left the building Scarlett brought out her Charizard and got onto its back. Once it started rising into the air, I did the same then followed Scarlett to my true creators home. We flew out all the way to the countryside to a large house overlooking a huge garden. I saw my three chicks outside, perched on a tree branch. I shot down towards them so quickly that the Charizard was forced to follow immediately or Scarlett would've been pulled right off its back.

"Ace! Chaos! Gem!" I called and they looked up,

"Kuro!" They called together and flew up towards me. I scooped them right out of the air, laughing joyfully. Scarlett smiled fondly, watching me with my Pidgeys.

"Are you ok, Kuro? That man didn't hurt you, did he?" Gem asked. I shook my head,

"I'm fine, but how are all of you? How has Frank been looking after you?" I asked,

"it's been great. He's treating us really well. We're really enjoying it here." Chaos said,

"we train a lot as well. I can't wait until we can evolve." Ace added and I smiled,

"well, you'll have to show me as soon as you do. I'd hate to miss it." I replied then was forced to fly to the ground, because the Charizard landed and the handcuffs didn't stretch that far.

"who is that?" Chaos asked, looking at Scarlett as she got off her Pokémon's back.

"they want to know your name." I told Scarlett, knowing no-one but me could understand what they were saying.

"My name is Scarlett and I have to say, it's nice to meet all of you." Scarlett replied, walking to my side.

Frank, my creator, walked outside,

"I heard you were coming here today, Kuro and I'm glad Matthew didn't change his mind." He said then invited us inside. Scarlett returned her Charizard and we walked inside.

Frank and Scarlett sat on a couple of armchairs in the living room while I sat between the chairs, on the floor with the Pidgeys around me.

Scarlett and Frank were talking and I replied anytime one of them spoke to me, but mostly spoke to my pidgeys, though to Scarlett and Frank, it sounded like all of us were chirping.

"so, after today, I'm going to talk to Scarlett and try and organize other times when I would be able to come here, but I'm not sure if that would work because she works for the man that is keeping me." I explained to them,

"don't worry about it Kuro, just do what you can." Gem replied knowingly and I smiled at the three of them.

"Hey, Kuro. It's time to leave now." Scarlett said after about an hour. I looked up at the clock and saw it was 6 o'clock, the time Matthew said we had to leave Frank's. I sighed and scooped up my Pidgeys again, hugging them.

"Bye, bye Kuro. We'll miss you." The three of them chorused.

"I'll miss you too." I replied, not wanting to leave them, but knowing I had to. I set them down then got up and followed Scarlett outside. She released her Charizard and got on its back. We took off into the air and I noticed that my Pidgeys were following. I flew around with them in the air, as far as the handcuffs would let me go, but when the house was almost out of sight they left again, going back to their home as I followed Scarlett back to mine.


End file.
